To Ask a Con on a Date
by Zee-Zee Magee
Summary: How I expected the mastermind to ask the grifter out. The way it happened... way better! Oh wait, this is how Nate officially asks Sophie out on a date! Ignore the first part!


**A/N:** _Boy, those cobwebs were accumulating like rabbits! I forgot to mention in one of my many posts this evening that I have two other fics in the works as well! One is a five things for Nate and Sophie because I am such a Nophie fan. The other might actually get published tonight if I deem it worthy and the other other is still waiting for me to glam it up._

_Do I have any rights to Leverage yet? (In a highly depressed sigh) No!_

"What's wrong with you?" Sophie demand hotly as she threw a pillow at the mastermind in frustration.

"What?" Nate sighed back though the smirk on his face was pretty well set in stone.

"You know what," Sophie snapped at him angrily, "First you act like you don't want anything to do with me since San Lorenzo and now you act like every male in the world is a threat to you and what's yours! I'm not yours, Nate! We're not dating! You don't get to claim me!"

"We could be," Nate grumbled to himself angrily.

"But we never will," Sophie popped back in agitation, "You won't allow it!"

"You had a gun pointing at you!" Nate shouted back completely in a temper now, "He was going to shoot you! You're damn right I'm not going to allow it!"

"We risk our lives every day!" Sophie lashed back venomously, "You know that! You knew that long before we were even close to be anything like… that!"

"I'm not…" Nate began before he decided to change his mind and start up a whole new war, "You're right! I'm sorry! Next time some guy comes up and hits on you in the middle of the street I'll just let him hit on you!"

"I'm not Maggie, Nate," Sophie hissed wretchedly at him because he forgot to stop her from knowing him a long time ago.

"I know you're not her," Nate snarled back though it didn't have the right amount of something he was going for.

"I'm not Sam either," Sophie huffed in annoyance at his weird behavior where she was concerned, "I'm not a fragile glass that can so easily break!"

_That's because you're already broken_, Nate thought irritably as he tried to think of a good excuse for not following through with this plan even-though the rest of him was saying screw it.

"It shouldn't be this hard," Sophie complained to the empty space between them, "There should be more give and take and not just a slam in the face!"

"There shouldn't be so many holes in us too," Nate commented with a sigh as he tried to figure out what he wanted most in the world.

"Do you want me to leave the team?" Sophie demanded shyly, "Will that help?"

"That would hurt," Nate stated as he all too horribly remembered the last time she had left them behind.

"What do you want, Nate?" Sophie begged of him automatically, "I can't keep doing this!"

"I want you," Nate blurted out because he couldn't quite keep that one in anymore, "but there's too much risk involved!"

"There will always be too much risk," Sophie stated sadly, "That's sort of the point!"

"I don't want to hurt you," Nate whispered as he realized just how pointless that statement was, "but I have no choice because either way we go I'm still going to hurt you."

"You're confidence is well appreciated," Sophie snarled at him as she grabbed her coat to leave, "Ring me when you think you can manage to not be a complete arse during a con!"

"Will you go out on a date with me?" Nate shouted after her out of desperation.

"What?" Sophie glared at him from across the room.

"Dinner," Nate restated to his own shock, "Do you want to grab a bite to eat with me?"

"Seriously?" Sophie shook her head at the man, "What does that even mean?"

"Look," Nate sighed at the fact that he was having to explain this to a woman with her history, "When a man and a woman find each other attractive but don't want to go too far…"

"I know what it means, Nate!" Sophie shouted at him angrily, "I meant why are you asking?"

"Because I want to go out on a date with you," Nate glared at the woman's trust issues, "I've made up my mind! I want you!"

"Yes, because I'm about to leave through the bloody door!" Sophie huffed at him dramatically, "but what about tomorrow? What about the next day? What about three months from now?"

"What about thirteen years ago when you were wearing a red dress in Prague?" Nate demanded back knowingly.

"That…" Sophie began to argue with a slack jaw, "That's a good one."

"The reason why I've been acting weird around you, Sophie," Nate glared at the woman promptly, "is not because I want nothing to do with you! It is the exact opposite! I want you and I didn't know how to approach it considering it's you!"

"I…" Sophie responded in shock before she was thankfully interrupted.

"I acted like a big alpha male today because I wanted to ask you out and didn't really like the fact that he was going to beat me to it when this has been coming for thirteen plus years!" Nate shouted at the grifter in agitation, "That a good enough reason for you?"

"Um," Sophie began in shock, "That's certainly a new one!"

"So, Ms. Devereaux," Nate continued harshly because that's how they role, "Will you finally end this little game with me and do something about it or not?"

"Yes, I will go out with you," Sophie replied darkly as her voice started to rise in volume again, "Is that the answer you were looking for?"

"Yes, it was," Nate shouted back for a reason he couldn't really comprehend, "I'll pick you up tonight at eight?"

"That will be fine!" Sophie huffed back clearly having the same problem he was having in controlling her voice at the moment.

"Great," Nate continued to shout, "see you then."

"okay then," Sophie nodded innocently as she started to head out the door again.

"Soph," Nate called out softly right before she had successfully made her escape.

"Hmm," Sophie looked up to see what he needed.

_Oh boy_, Nate thought as he launched himself at her and attacked her scorching lips with his own. Sophie just simply responded so he kept going until air started to become something he needed to fill his lungs. The two broke apart in a very unprofessional like moan.

"See you at eight," Nate replied hoarsely as she started to walk out the door again.

"Eight," Sophie nodded completely frazzled as she exited the room.


End file.
